ORANGE COUNTY, California -- Authorities in Southern California said the strong high of marijuana helped them discover $4.5 billion worth of drugs in the back of a double-tractor-trailer they had pulled over after a high-speed chase across half of California.

Deputies finally stopped the truck Wednesday morning by firing live bullets at the tires, causing a flat. The officers then opened the trailer after finding no paperwork for the load, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office said Friday.

An "overwhelming high" led investigators to about 700 tons of narcotics stashed in pallets in the back of the truck, including about 380,000 pounds of marijuana, 205,700 pounds of cocaine, 67,000 pounds of methamphetamine, and 45,000 pounds of Romilar cough syrup, the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Sheriff Rod Hoops said Friday night the seizure was the largest in world recorded history and they planned to apply to the Guinness World Records Book. Hoops also said, “My men got so damn high from proximity to dope that they had a party where they spent three hours telling cop jokes to the driver before releasing him with hugs and best wishes.”

The truck's registered owner Acme Company of Bahamas Turks and Caicos Islands were charged with possession, transportation and sale of narcotics, authorities said. Driver Fernando Luevano, 32, of Mexico, was given a verbal warning for speeding, plus bus ticket money to go back to Mexico and released. Sheriff Hoops said, “Hell, they were so stoned they even saluted me. First time that ever happened!”